


Tragic Indeed

by TopShelfOfficial



Series: Communication is Key [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: One-sided Nymatt, Otherwise this would have been marked a G, Our boy is a bit dense, Some fabricated backstory relating to my other story, Some hints at Plance, Swearing seven year old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 03:46:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14907717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TopShelfOfficial/pseuds/TopShelfOfficial
Summary: Matt shares an anecdote with Nyma.......That's pretty much it. Ties in with my other fic 'River in Constantinople' but I don't think it's necessary to read.





	Tragic Indeed

 

  
  


“You don't have to tell me, I already know.”

“Oh yeah?”

“...it's a Paladin.”

“Which makes your whole Lotor theory even more ridiculous.”

“I was trying to catch you off guard. So, which one was the one you liked again?”

“Good-bye, Matt.”

“You can't hide his identity for...And she hung up on me mid sentence. Rude.” Matt huffed in disbelief.

“Well, I can't blame her. You were starting to be a bit obnoxious.” A female voice commented, startling him.

“Wah! Oh, hey Nyma.” he relaxed once he saw who it was. “When did you get here?”

“Oh, I've actually been here for a while. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was actually looking for Beezer, but when I came here to ask you if you'd seen him, you were in the middle of a conversation with Pidge.”

“And you just stood there...?”

Nyma flinched as she realized how this must reflect on her. “I...It's an old habit, I'm trying to kick. Anytime I come upon a conversation where I'm unnoticed, I just try to hear as much as possible, in case I get some valuable info. I'm sorry, I'll just leave now.”

“Hey, it's alright. I mean, Pidge will probably not be to happy about you overhearing her innermost thoughts and feelings, but if you don't tell her, I won't either.”

“Thanks, I'll try not to let it happen again.”

“Hey, next time I'll be on the lookout for you.” Matt said in a teasing voice. Nyma blushed lightly at this comment, but he had no idea why.

“So, what's the 'Challenger'?”

“Hmm?”

“You said something about a 'Challenger' to your sister? Was she involved in some kind of ritual combat ceremony back on Earth?”

“No, actually it was one of the earliest space crafts built on our planet. Unfortunately, it exploded shortly into its launch, costing the lives of all the people aboard. One of them was going to be the first teachers in space. It's one of the most tragic days in our Space Program.”

“....So, did Pidge cause the explosion?”  
“What? No, that happened years before our parents were even born. The 'Challenger' I was talking about has nothing to do with the actual Challenger. It was about a replica.”

“How so?”

“It's kinda a boring story. I mean, I think it's funny, but not many people outside our family really appreciate it.”

“I'm not really doing anything right now. And I don't mind boring stories once in a while. We've got enough excitement going on as is.”

“Weren't you looking for Beezer?”

“I'm sure he'll show up eventually.” She said dismissively. “Now tell me your boring story!”

He gave her a confused look, but then shrugged. “Let's see I think I was about 15, and Pidge must have been around 7...”

***

To those who knew the family, it was a well known fact that Commander Samuel Holt assembled Lego replicas of historical space crafts in his spare time. Their closest friends had even been given a tour of his hobby room. For the Holt children it was prohibited unless they fulfilled three conditions. Matt hadn't been qualified until about two years ago. His sister Katie, was well on the way of fulfilling two out of three, but was still fuming.

“It's just not fair!” she complained, as she ran some code on her mom's computer. “I already know all the names, launch dates, and programs of all the crafts in that room, and I'm about to win my first science fair without any of your help. I can't believe Dad still won't consider giving me access to the Exhibition Room.”

“Why are you in such a hurry? It'll be only be three years before you meet all conditions, that will still be three years earlier than I did.” Matt asked, supervising her work without telling her, for the fear that she might chase him away.

“Because my age shouldn't be a factor in this. What difference does it make if I have lived to a two digit age or not, if I am qualified already?”

“You know this isn't about being qualified, right? Dad likes it when we challenge ourselves and seek new innovations, I think he just doesn't like sharing his private time willingly, so he wants to make us earn it.”

“But that's just it, I'm working hard to earn my way in there. Waiting to become ten-years-old isn't earning anything, it's just wasting time.”

“Sometimes, you just have to wait for the things we want, Pidge.”

“That's not my name.” she grumbled. “And it's still a stupid condition. Once I win this Science Fair Competition, I will have to convince him, right?”

“Well not if you plug in...”

“If you finish that sentence I will throw this screwdriver at you.”

“I'm just trying to help, Katie.”

“If you helped me that would defeat the purpose, Matt!”

“But if you took the time to just let us help you for now, you could hone your craft, and make something real special later, and then maybe your wait would not be so long. Besides your using Mom's computer, isn't that kind of like getting her help.”

“I'm only using it because mine can't run the programs I need yet. And I'm putting in all the work, not Mom. And stop trying to help me already!”

Her brother lifted his hands up in surrender, backing out of the room. Although, he always wished for her success in general, he was hoping that this time Katie would only make runner-up. Perhaps a reality check would help her settle down.

____

However, that was not what happened. Even with a crude looking drone that did nothing more than blink and hover up to seven feet in the air, it was bound to take first place among the potato-clocks and

baking soda volcanoes that her classmates made. And as Matt feared, their father was still not willing to grant Katie access to his hobby room, which left her aggravated. Not even her undisputed victory in her second grader science fair could mollify her. She was unapproachable the rest of the week, only willing to be in the same room as her father and brother during meal times, spending the rest of her time tinkering on something in her room. Surprisingly, her scowl did evaporate when Samuel Holt mentioned giving Matt access to the room unsupervised.

“Are you sure about that, Dad?” He asked, watching his sisters face to see her reaction. “You've never let in that room alone before.”

“Well, you've been doing well with me looking over your shoulder for these past few years. I think you've proven yourself responsible enough to be allowed in there on your own. You could even craft your own piece.”

“Really?!”

“Of course, I can't help it that I'm going to be a guest lecturer three States away for a month. And I think it would be better than letting the dust settle in there.” Sam elaborated. He looked towards Katie as he said, “If this trial run goes well I might even consider giving you earlier access. Provided Matt watches over you. Wouldn't that be nice?”

“Yeah, Dad.” She said in a tone that Matt knew spelled trouble. “That sounds perfect.”

___

The first day, Matt kept a watchful eye on his sister, yet as far as he could tell, she seemed fine. In fact, she seemed back to her cheerful, inquisitive self. Before long, he decided that his suspicion must have been ill-founded. Maybe, the promise of his new access eventually shortening her waiting period had finally cleared up her grudge. Over the month, he didn't spend much in the hobby room. He only went in once or twice a week to dust the vast collection, or look through Commander Holt's expansive catalog on spacecrafts to seek inspiration for his own replica. (He was torn between a satellite from the eighties or a rocket from the early twenty-first century.) Everything was harmoniously routine, until the day before his father's return. After a full day of school, robotics club, coding club, and student council—he was the treasurer—Matt was ready to unwind in the hobby room by finally picking the pieces he needed. (He had decided to go with one of Musk's crafts.) He lifted his phone to the electric lock his father had installed and tapped the unlocking program to initiate the unlocking sequence. As soon as the door unlocked, he ran into the room; excited to get started. However, all his excitement dissipated when he heard something that sounded to much like a crash for his liking. Slowly, he turned around in hopes of being wrong. To his dismay, the replica of the Challenger, one of his father's earliest and most intricate works, lay on the floor in pieces. He spent the rest of the afternoon trying in to fix it in vain, his nerves impeded his memory of the how the pieces collected. In the end, he just gathered whatever pieces he could find, and awaited his father's return in trepidation. He didn't know if he was going to have his hard-earned privileges revoked permanently, but he hoped that being upfront about his accident would make his father very lenient.

___

It was odd, how his sister didn't grab the opportunity to mock him. Usually, when he got in some kind of trouble, she was the first to taunt him, preferably with an improvised song. However, he was more focused on his father's verdict, as he scrutinized the damage, to wonder about Katie's strange behavior. Sam Holt sighed as he finally put the broken replica down. “Well, some of the pieces are missing, but it's not like it will be to difficult to find replacements. And I know you didn't have malicious intent, but perhaps I should postpone giving you unsupervised access.”

“That's it?” Katie spoke up suddenly. _'Ahh!'_ Matt thought to himself. _'Here it finally comes.'_ “He broke...One of the most prized pieces of your collection was destroyed under his watch, and that's all you're going to do?”

“Like I said, he didn't do it on purpose. Why, do you think I ought to give him a harsher punishment?”

Matt waited for her to list a slew of ridiculous suggestions, “...No, I was just curious.” and was completely befuddled with her actual response. “I...uhm...Got some homework....” She said as she backed out of the room. Matt was now very focused on his sister's behavior, and continued to be so for the following few months. All throughout she was evasive, when he usually couldn't get her to stop asking questions about any given topic. And she didn't seem to be holding her grudge anymore. In fact, the few times she did interact with him she was much too nice. She had also taken up a bunch of errands around the neighborhood, anything from weeding to helping old women write emails to their grandchildren. He especially grew suspicious when her Homework load increased dramatically. Sure, Katie was attending an elite school, but there was no reason for a second grader to have the workload of a college senior during finals. He decided to pursue that angle, as he had a feeling he would yield the most results there.

___

He decided to put his plan into action the following day. Matt sauntered into her room—overtly casual—where she was bent over a mountain of what looked like math homework.

“Hey Pidddggge.” He deliberately stretched out the nickname, hoping to elicit some kind of response. She didn't budge. “That's a bunch of homework you got.”

“I got caught up in to many personal projects. I've been putting off regular homework. I'm just getting caught up.” Was her immediate response. Sadly, it had been the exact same response she had given their parents when they asked her about it. _'Maybe Katie's been replaced with a robot?'_ he pondered before trying a different method.

“So, do you need some help?” He offered.

Katie froze at his suggestion, and then hastily answered. “No, I've got it.”

“Come on! It's been a while since I've helped you with school and I'm feeling generous.”

“I don't need your help with long division, Matt!”

“Well, clearly your method is flawed, otherwise these assignments wouldn't have piled up so much. Let me just have a look at what you're working on, maybe I can give you some pointers.” He said as he reached for some of her papers.

“Matt, don't touch my stuff!” She yelled as she tried to obstruct him. Fortunately for Matt, he had a height advantage over his sister, and was easily able to take a few pages beyond her grasp. “Give it back!” She screamed again, as she started climbing on him in order to reach her papers.

“Ow! Knock it off, you monkey. What's the big....” Although he was struggling to keep his sister out of reach, Matt managed to get a good enough look at her assignments, and made a surprising discovery. “...These are all the same.” Katie stopped her efforts to retrieve her alleged homework. “Why is this assignment repeating?” She sheepishly slipped of him, and didn't even try to stop him when he looked through the rest of her stack. The only difference were the subjects, in this case being every STEM subject offered in grades 1-6. But within the categories of grade and subject, all the assignments were identical, with maybe 2-3 variations. The only noticeable difference he could find in them, were names he found on the top or bottom of the assignment sheets. Matt was starting put a picture together, but he needed to confirm it with Katie first.

“....Are you being bullied?” He asked in a concerned tone.

“Uhm,...” his sister's face was contemplative before she decided how to respond. “...If you're talking about the homework, then that's not what this is about. I'm getting paid.”

“What? Why would you....? This isn't...? What do you even need the money for?”

She sighed as she led him to her computer and brought up her internet browser. It was opened to an obscure online market, where a specific item was up for sale for a ridiculous amount of money. Matt recognized the item after a glance. It was one of the missing pieces needed for the Challenger replica—a piece that had not been produced in decades. “You found someone who has this piece? Why didn't you tell us?”

“I was going to tell you right after I bought it. But the seller isn't willing to part with it for less then 600$. Greedy bastard! He's so lucky mom hasn't taught me how to hack remotely yet.” She grumbled. If Matt was in his parents' presence, he probably would have scolded his sister for her language, but in private it amused him when Katie swore.

“Ok, but that still doesn't explain why didn't tell us once you realized it was beyond your budget. Why do you need to buy it yourself?”

“Because...Because the Challenger was my fault.” She said as she hung her head.

“How could it be your fault. You can't even get in the Exhibition room.”

“Do you remember my science project?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Did you really think I spent the better part of a week programming a drone, just so that it would hover and blink?” She says with a little smugness to her tone, only to sigh again. “I programmed it with a frequency mimicking software, so that it could trick dad's lock into letting me in. It also has a mini camera. I was sneaking into the room the whole time Dad was gone to take goofy pictures. I was hoping to prove that I was more then ready to deal with his precious things. But on that day, I don't know the time got away. I only realized you were coming because I heard your ringtone. At the time I had been posing with the Challenger, and I was in such a hurry to get out of the room, I must have put it down to close to the edge of the display case.”

“Wow.” was all he could say after that explanation. “I knew you were smart, but you've honestly impressed me right now.” He chuckled in fascination. “Also, regarding the actual incident. Are you sure it was really your fault? I mean, Dad has told me constantly not to run around in there.”

“Well then how come only the Challenger fell down?”

“...That's a solid point.”

“I'm sorry, Matt. I promise to obey the rules from now on.” she said as she removed a memory card from her drone. “Here's all the evidence you need. If you show this to Dad, I'm sure he'll restore your privileges again.” She held it out towards him, still unable to look him in the eye. Matt took a look at the small object in his sister's hand, and promptly turned towards her computer. When Katie heard him typing at her keyboard, her eyes widened. “What are you doing?!” She exclaimed.

“Buying the piece, obviously.”

“You don't have that kind of money.”

“On the contrary, little pigeon. I've got plenty of tutoring money saved up. I was hoping to get a new telescope, but eh. I can just fix mine again.”

“Stop calling me weird stuff!” He smirked at her indignation. “And you don't need to do this, you have all the proof to get of the hook!”

“Yeah, I thought about it, and I'm good.”

“What do you even mean?”

“What I mean...” He said as he made the final click to purchase. “...Is that I think you've learned your lesson already. I don't think you need any more punishment, so once this piece arrives we should put this all behind us.”

“But, don't you think we should tell dad?”

“If you quit doing other peoples homework, I won't tell anybody about this. And if you still want to earn money, I'm sure I can find you some tutoring jobs too.”

“Why....Why are you being so nice to me? Shouldn't you be angry, or at the very least telling me 'I told you so!'?”

He smiled as he ruffled her head. “Hey! I know, that would seem like the most justified response to a situation like this, but I think some things are more important.”

“Like what?” Katie asked with a furrowed brow.

“Look,...” he started to explain. “There's a significant age difference between us, and I always wished that wasn't the case. You're the best sister a person could have, and before long, I'll be in college while you're starting out in middle school. I'll have even less time with you than I have now. I don't know if I'll have many opportunities to just be your Hero, so if I have a chance like this one, I'll take it.”

She hugged him after his little speech and he patted her on the back. “Are you sure you don't want to tell dad? I don't mind if he permanently revokes my access to the Exhibition Room.”

“Nah, it's okay. Let me just look out for my little sister for once.” after that day, the Holt siblings grew closer than ever before.

***

“...And that's pretty much it.” Matt concluded his story.

Nyma looked enchanted for a reason that he couldn't guess. “So you haven't told anybody else about Pidge's secret until now?” She asked with a hopeful tone.

“Not exactly. Pidge confessed to our parents the very next day, and was forbidden from using a computer for two months. After that Mom and Dad would tell anybody they came across for the rest of the year. They never said it outright, but I think they were a little proud that she was able to make such a sophisticated program at such a young age.”

“Oh.” She answered, this time a little crestfallen. “That's cool, I guess.”

“But, this might be the first I've told the story to anyone personally, so I guess your statement wasn't wrong.”

This seemed to perk the young woman up again. “Of course not.” She said as she flipped her hair/head appendage. “It's kind of nice to hear about your childhood. It seems like your family is close, supportive. I never really had that growing up. I mean, I eventually had Rolo and Beezer, but they were more like partners-in-crime than family. I was never under the impression that they wouldn't sell me out if it meant surviving. Not that I wouldn't have done that either, but you know. In a way, joining the rebellion is first time we ever acknowledged each other as friends.” She reminisced.

“Sounds like it was tough.”

“I don't really like to talk about it.”

“That's understandable....But you know, if you ever want to talk, I'd be willing to listen.” He reassured her.

“Thanks, that's really sweet of you.” She smiled as she put her hand on top of his. Matt just smiled back, seemingly undisturbed by this. “So,...” she said as she awkwardly removed her hand again. “How did this even come up in the first place?”

“Oh yeah, uhm, I don't think I can tell you any details, but what it basically boils down too is that my sister is experiencing her first crush.”

“Ok, I have no idea how one connects to another, but I'll take your word for it. How do you know for sure?”

“Trust me, I know. Besides, it's not like she denied it. But she won't tell me who it is.”

“Do you have any guesses?”

“A few, but I narrowed it down to Hunk and Lance.”

“It's Lance.”

“What? Ok, where is this determination coming from.”

“I just have a gut feeling about this. And also, the first time I met the Paladins, Lance flirted with me the entire time. She seemed to be caught up with Beezer, but I swear I saw her grimace when she saw me tricking Lance into...uhm, when Lance offered to give me a tour of the Castle.”

“Well that's not conclusive.”

“It is what it is.”

“Lance, huh......But wouldn't Hunk be a better fit? I mean, at least he could keep up with her on an academic level, and he knows how to bake. Those are pretty much, her two priorities.”

“Look, I don't know your sister as much as you do, but I do know that sometimes don't always go for the obvious choice. For example, a gorgeous, street-smart, cut-throat yet lovable girl might have a thing for the nerdy, lanky, but nevertheless combat-capable boy of another species.” As she said this she leaned very close to his face. “What would you think about that?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...Huh?” He finally uttered.

Nyma stood up in a huff and marched out of the room. “You know, for a genius you can be a real moron sometimes, Matt!” She said before she slammed his door. Matt just blinked in confusion as he tried to figure out what he had done to upset her. He would not know the answer for a long time.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> At long last, I have posted another story. That should make all five of my fans happy.  
> But in all seriousness, this is probably going to be my last update in a while because I'm moving to Ireland to try that University thing again, and I'll probably be too busy adjusting for a good while. Hope this can tide you over until then. And once again, shout-out to Ares for being my Beta. It's been a while since I made a friend that I only knew exclusively online, and I'm guessing that's where this is heading.


End file.
